Cabin Management Systems power various cabin products. Many systems include a monitor/protection device that monitors the electrical bus supplying electrical power to the stowable products to determine if an overcurrent or overpower condition persists for a set period of time. If an overcurrent or overpower condition does persist for the set period of time, then the monitor/protection device will trip, and thereby remove the electrical power to that particular cabin product. After a maintenance action occurs to correct the fault in that particular cabin product the monitor/protection may be reset via, for example, software.
Many cabin products, such as monitors or various portable electronic devices, may have to be stowed during aircraft taxi, takeoff, and landing maneuvers. During an aircraft flight phase, however, such devices may be energized from the vehicle power distribution system via a connector. In some aircraft, there have been instances, under specific conditions, in which a contact bounce occurs at the connector. Such a contact bounce can cause multiple instances of in-rush currents, effectively lengthening the duration of the in-rush beyond worst case tolerances. In such instances, the monitor/protection device trips, requiring maintenance personnel to reset the device. Such random events can be difficult to detect and prevent. When these events occur in-flight, it results in downtime of the device until resolution by maintenance personnel.
Hence, there is a need for a system and method of limiting in-rush current to powered devices that may be connected and disconnected from an aircraft power source during aircraft maneuvers. The present invention addresses at least this need.